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IMDbPro

Willie Garson(1964-2021)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,00060
Willie Garson
A woman recalls her life and musical career choices in New York City through the years.
Play trailer2:06
Before I Go (2021)
57 Videos
99+ Photos
Rarely at a loss for work, Willie Garson appeared in more than 300 episodes of television and more than 70 films. Best known for his long runs on television as Mozzie on White Collar (2009), Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City (1998), and Henry Coffield on NYPD Blue (1993), he also appeared as the grifter with a heart of gold, Gerard Hirsch, on Hawaii Five-0 (2010).

Born in New Jersey, he started training at the Actors Institute In New York, before majoring in psychology and theater at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. After graduation, he quickly started landing guest roles on such shows as Cheers (1982), Family Ties (1982), Thirtysomething (1987), L.A. Law (1986), as well as continually recurring in a wide array of shows including The X-Files (1993), Twin Peaks (1990), Two and a Half Men (2003), Stargate SG-1 (1997), Pushing Daisies (2007), The Practice (1997), Ally McBeal (1997), etc., etc., etc. His favorite long-form role on TV was Dr. Kreutz for Steven Spielberg in the acclaimed miniseries Taken (2002). Garson also appeared in many episodes of Boy Meets World (1993) and Girl Meets World (2014).

On the big screen, other than reprising his Sex and the City (1998) role for two features (Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010)), he collaborated with the Farrelly brothers on three films, There's Something About Mary (1998), Kingpin (1996), and Fever Pitch (2005), as well as appearing in Soapdish (1991), Groundhog Day (1993), Mars Attacks! (1996), The Rock (1996), Being John Malkovich (1999), and many others. He was often used by such varied directors as Spike Jonze, Michael Bay, the late great Mike Nichols, and Ron Shelton. Next up is Feed (2017), touching on a subject Garson was very proud to be a part of. Upcoming films include 7 Days to Vegas (2019), and Magic Camp (2020).

As a director, Garson directed episodes of White Collar (2009) and Girl Meets World (2014), and, with Warner Brothers, had TV shows in development as producer/creator.

Garson continued to perform with various bicoastal theater companies such as Naked Angles, Manhattan Theater Club, the Roundabout Theater, and the Geffen. He was also very involved with many charities, including AMFAR, Camp Joslin for Diabetes, Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, and especially the Alliance for Children's Rights, which facilitates adoptions in LA County. This had a special place in the Garson family, as Willie adopted his son Nathan in Los Angeles in 2010, and twice served as national spokesman for National Adoption Day.

Aside from acting, Garson was known as a world-class poker player, nicknamed Evil Willie on the first episode of Celebrity Poker Showdown (2003), and continued to play in tournaments all over the world, both for charity and through the World Poker Tour.
BornFebruary 20, 1964
DiedSeptember 21, 2021(57)
BornFebruary 20, 1964
DiedSeptember 21, 2021(57)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,00060
  • Awards
    • 1 win & 1 nomination

Photos164

Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage, and Willie Garson in Boy Meets World (1993)
Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage, and Willie Garson in Boy Meets World (1993)
Willie Garson and Meaghan Rath in He puhe'e miki (2020)
Willie Garson in Taken (2002)
Willie Garson, Joel Gretsch, and John Hawkes in Taken (2002)
Willie Garson and Joel Gretsch in Taken (2002)
Willie Garson, Jason Gray-Stanford, and Joel Gretsch in Taken (2002)
Willie Garson and Joel Gretsch in Taken (2002)
Willie Garson in Taken (2002)
Scott Durbin, Willie Garson, Wendy Calio, David Poche, Scott Smith, and Rich Collins in Imagination Movers (2008)
Willie Garson and Steve Valentine in Mars Attacks! (1996)
Téa Leoni and Willie Garson in Flying Blind (1992)

Known for

Matt Bomer in White Collar (2009)
White Collar
8.2
TV Series
  • Mozzie
  • Mr. C.
Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City (2008)
Sex and the City
5.7
  • Stanford Blatch
  • 2008
Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Hawaii Five-0
7.4
TV Series
  • Gerard Hirsch

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Duke of the Valley
    • Willie
    • Post-production
    • TV Series
  • Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon in And Just Like That... (2021)
    And Just Like That...
    • Stanford Blatch
    • TV Series
    • 2021
  • Annabella Sciorra in Before I Go (2021)
    Before I Go
    • Francis
    • 2021
  • The Pack Podcast (2020)
    The Pack Podcast
    • Jay
    • Ralph
    • Corey (voice)
    • Podcast Series
    • 2020–2021
  • Fred Armisen, Jessica Chaffin, Mark Duplass, Richard Kind, Maya Rudolph, Paula Pell, Paul Scheer, Seth Morris, Jordan Peele, Jessi Klein, Jason Mantzoukas, Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Chelsea Peretti, and Heather Lawless in Big Mouth (2017)
    Big Mouth
    • (voice)
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • Gillian Jacobs, Adam Devine, Cole Sand, Isabella Crovetti, Josie Totah, Izabella Alvarez, Bianca Grava, Hayden Crawford, and Nathaniel Logan McIntyre in Magic Camp (2020)
    Magic Camp
    • Casino Manager
    • 2020
  • Quarantine (2020)
    Quarantine
    • Lenny Neville
    • TV Series
    • 2020
  • David Harewood, Chyler Leigh, Jesse Rath, Azie Tesfai, Melissa Benoist, Katie McGrath, and Nicole Maines in Supergirl (2015)
    Supergirl
    • Steve Lomeli
    • TV Series
    • 2019–2020
  • Willie Garson, Richard Kind, Thomas Lennon, Josh Zuckerman, Alphonso McAuley, Jonathan Kite, Andrew Lewis Caldwell, Kelen Coleman, and Adam Ray in The Bellmen (2020)
    The Bellmen
    • Alan
    • 2020
  • Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
    Hawaii Five-0
    • Gerard Hirsch
    • TV Series
    • 2015–2020
  • Jay Hernandez and Perdita Weeks in Magnum P.I. (2018)
    Magnum P.I.
    • Gerard Hirsch
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Hilarie Burton and Tyler Hilton in A Christmas Wish (2019)
    A Christmas Wish
    • Principal Wilson
    • TV Movie
    • 2019
  • Anne Marie Cummings and Gustavo Velasquez in Conversations in L.A. (2017)
    Conversations in L.A.
    • Dr. Kerr
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • 7 Days to Vegas (2019)
    7 Days to Vegas
    • Danny
    • 2019
  • Salvation (2017)
    Salvation
    • Dr. Carson
    • TV Series
    • 2018
  • Feed (2017)
    Feed
    • Mr. Brack
    • 2017

Director

  • Cloris Leachman, Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage, Tania Gunadi, Ceci Balagot, Rowan Blanchard, Sabrina Carpenter, Ava Kolker, August Maturo, Ivy George, and Cooper J. Friedman in Girl Meets World (2014)
    Girl Meets World
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2015
  • Matt Bomer in White Collar (2009)
    White Collar
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2013

Producer

  • Whole Day Down (2011)
    Whole Day Down
    • co-executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2015
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos57

Ashley's Ashes
Clip 1:37
Ashley's Ashes
Ashley's Ashes
Clip 1:42
Ashley's Ashes
Ashley's Ashes
Clip 1:33
Ashley's Ashes
Ashley's Ashes
Clip 1:15
Ashley's Ashes
Trailer
Trailer 2:06
Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:05
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:01
Official Trailer
White Collar: Season Six
Trailer 0:17
White Collar: Season Six
Amazing Racer
Trailer 2:05
Amazing Racer
White Collar: Season Three
Trailer 0:31
White Collar: Season Three
White Collar: The Complete First Season
Trailer 0:40
White Collar: The Complete First Season
Untamed Heart
Trailer 2:00
Untamed Heart

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
  • Alternative names
    • William Garson
  • Height
    • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
  • Born
    • February 20, 1964
    • Highland Park, New Jersey, USA
  • Died
    • September 21, 2021
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(pancreatic cancer)
  • Parents
      Donald M. Paszamant
  • Other works
    TV Commercial for GM / OnStar (1998)
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    In 2009, he adopted a son, Nathan Garson.
  • Quotes
    Not everyone looks like Brad Pitt. There are people in the world that look like me. I think people feel that I could be living next door to them. That has much more effect on me.

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